Verdict In Slaying Of Filipino Trans Woman

U.S. Marine Guilty In Slaying Of Transgender Woman In Philippines

Supporters of Jennifer Laude, a transgender woman killed by a U.S. Marine, demonstrate outside a court in February 2015.

The 2014 slaying of Jennifer Laude, a transgender woman in the Philippines, sparked major protests in her home country and beyond.

Now, more than a year after her death, the U.S. Marine accused of killing the 26-year-old has been found guilty by a court in the Philippines, according to The Associated Press.

Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton was convicted of homicide and sentenced to six to 12 years in prison. Prosecutors say he strangled Laude during a meeting in a hotel after discovering that she was transgender.

Pemberton admitted to choking Laude during a fight in his testimony, but maintained that she was alive when he left her, the AP reported. Laude's mother told the AP that while she wanted to see Pemberton convicted of murder, a more serious charge than homicide, she is glad to see that he will go to jail.